In the Time of the Butterflies
 

In the Time of the Butterflies

by Julia Alvarez

From the author of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents comes this tale of courage and sisterhood set in the Dominican Republic during the rise of the Trujillo dictatorship. A skillful blend of fact and fiction, In the Time of the Butterflies is inspired by the true story of the three Mirabal sisters who, in 1960, were murdered for their part in an underground plot to overthrow the... (read more)

Top tags: fictionhistorical fictiondominican republicpoliticswar (all tags)

Readers

Groups

Other Reviews

Amazon Reviews (5)
 

Most Helpful Reviews

Liked It

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Lorena B
  • Rated 4 stars

It is fictionalized history, if that makes sense. It technically takes place in the Dominican Republic in 1994, but the main events happen in the late 1940's to 1960. It is based on the lives of a family of four sisters, three of whom become very involved in a revolution against the dictator, Trujillo, and their code names were "Las Mariposas," or The Butterflies. They become national heroines and martyrs when they have an "accident" on the way home from visiting their husbands in prison. ...

Lorena B’s full review »
more reviews »

Didn’t Like It

Chrystal Y
  • Rated 2 stars

I enjoyed the first part of this book, but found I couldn't stick with the characters. I finally skimmed the last several chapters and read the ending. I had difficulty switching from one sister to the next, I felt it was choppy rather than interesting. Great potential but it fell flat for me.

Chrystal Y’s full review »
more reviews »
Community:
  • Rated 4.28 stars
Amazon:
  • Rated 4.5 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • Saminvierno

    saminvierno said:

    One of the best books that I have ever read.

    posted Saturday, June 21 2008
  • alenord

    alenord said:

    I think this is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it in college, but stumbled across the DVD in the $5.00 bin at Wal-Mart. Being that I am a Spanish teacher now, I bought the movie and showed it to my students. The movie is a little "made for TV", but they really got into it, so it inspired me to reread it. I have had several students tell me they were inspired to read the book as well, and loved it. I just feel so proud of them for opening their minds up to experiences from another part of the world. Besides that, it reads like your girlfriends or sisters are confiding in you, so that makes it even more poignant.

    posted Monday, May 12 2008
  • Maria M

    maria m said:

    I love this book! I read it in English and Spanish- worth the time spent- me gusto mucho.

    posted Friday, February 22 2008
  • Ada P

    ada p said:

    Whoever likes this book can learn more about the HORRORS of Trujillo's years in "La Fiesta del Chivo" by Mario Vargas Llosa. That was one sick guy.

    posted Saturday, December 29 2007
  • Penelope959

    penelope959 said:

    I just finished this book. It was gripping. I loved the way the point of view shifted so that you could hear each sister's voice.

    posted Thursday, July 5 2007
© 2008 Tastemakers, Inc. | Portions of Shelfari.com are Copyright © 1996-2008 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy